A hospital executive this week was making the argument that it’s not rising charges that are pushing up overall U.S. health costs. It’s a self-serving argument, sure, but his alternative explanation also hits some interesting, inarguable truths: Americans tend to use a lot of health care late in life[1], especially when compared to patients in other countries.

This hospital leader’s contention is that American lifestyle choices are largely driving the rapid growth in overall health care costs: Alarming rates of obesity, the persistence of smoking, and other risks we refuse to give up.

He sent along a chart that’s worth more than 1,000 words in considering the topic, so I’ll leave it at that. The chart is from a Carnegie Mellon University study on aging costs in nations with first-world health systems.